More than a century has passed since Mr. Taft founded our school. While the world and the school have changed dramatically, his fundamental values endure: work hard, without regard for public acclaim; develop all your talents: academic, artistic, and athletic; and most importantly, give of yourself to others.

“Our Admissions Committee seeks prospective students who will, in equal measure, embrace all that it means to be a Taft student—the rigors, the fun, the commitments, and the rewards."Peter Frew '75, Director of Admission

More than a century has passed since Mr. Taft founded our school. While the world and the school have changed dramatically, his fundamental values endure: work hard, without regard for public acclaim; develop all your talents: academic, artistic, and athletic; and most importantly, give of yourself to others.

“Our Admissions Committee seeks prospective students who will, in equal measure, embrace all that it means to be a Taft student—the rigors, the fun, the commitments, and the rewards."Peter Frew '75, Director of Admission

Mathematics

Mathematics

Hero Treatment

The mathematics curriculum at Taft prepares graduates to perform raw, logical, structured thinking. Through the study of algebra, geometry, precalculus, calculus, and statistics, students develop critical thinking skills and are able to apply the skills they have mastered to solve problems. The graduation requirement is to complete a mathematics sequence through Algebra II, although the majority of students continue on to higher levels of math. Students are encouraged to take a statistics course, either Statistics or AP Statistics. In addition, we offer introductory and AP courses in Computer Science. All honors and Advanced Placement courses require permission of the department.

In This Section

Portrait of a Mathematics Graduate

Taft graduates will develop their problem solving skills and become adept at critical thinking. Graduates will develop a clear, logical, analytical style of thinking.

Graduates will be equipped to deal with basic, real-life math. Math will play a role in their lives at some point, and they should have developed the habits of mind that will allow them to use math in future endeavors. They should realize that their math skills can be applied to everyday life—logic, organization, clarity, etc.

Graduates can accurately communicate their understanding of math—explaining how a problem is solved is often as important as finding the right answer. Graduates will develop listening skills so that they can absorb ideas aurally as opposed to simply reading a textbook. Based on feedback from their teachers, graduates will be able to make adjustments in their approaches to work.

Graduates are prepared for their next level of math.

Graduates should like math. Through exposure to different topics, encouragement on their work, and receiving instruction from teachers excited about math, it is hoped that an atmosphere of enthusiasm for math helps display the inherent beauty, flow, and logic of math.

Connected to the idea of liking math, our graduates will receive a “good fit” in math. With a variety of courses that appeal to different ability levels, Taft graduates should master the mathematics suitable to their ability level.

Graduates ought to know when and how to use technology--when is it faster to use a calculator versus when is it more laborious.